Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

Movie review by Amanda Lautermilch five out of five stars *****
In this movie, Elijah Wood portrays Frodo Baggins. It's based on the trilogy written by J.R.R Tolkien which he wrote in the early 1900's. It's basically a story of the triumph of good over evil in a world of magic and adventure, called Middle-earth. A creature called a hobbit, named Frodo Baggins, is given the One Ring as a family heirloom when his uncle, Bilbo, leaves their home in the Shire. The Ring was crafted by a dark lord known as Sauron in the beginning of Middle-earth as a device to control all the free lands of all the world. A great war was fought, and in the end, a man named Isildur defeats Sauron by cutting off his ring finger as an alliance of men and elves battled on the slopes of Mount Doom. Instead of destroying the Ring in the one place it could be unmade, Mount Doom, Isildur took the Ring out of greed for himself. Over time he was killed and the Ring lost. After two and a half thousand years, the Ring was again found by a cousin of a creature named Smeagol, or Gollum, as it was his nickname due to the gurgling sound he made in his throat. Gollum killed his cousin and took the Ring. He left his home and came to live within the depths of the Misty Mountains. There, Bilbo Baggins found the Ring in Gollum's cave while on an adventure with Gandalf and thirteen dwarves (told in The Hobbit). Bilbo, not knowing of the Rings origin but only that it made him invisible when worn, took it with back to his home in the Shire. When Gandalf, the wizard and old friend of both Bilbo and Frodo, discovers that Bilbo's old magic ring is indeed the One Ring, he prompts Frodo to go on a quest to Rivendell, a city of elves. Once there, Frodo undertakes the burden of taking the Ring to Mount Doom in Mordor to destroy it. Eight companions agree to go with him to aid him in his task: Gandalf(wizard), Strider/Aragorn(man), Boromir(man), Legolas(elf), Gimli(dwarf), and Sam, Merry, and Pippin who are all hobbit friends of Frodo. Their journey takes them through the Mines of Moria, where Gandalf is killed (Not to worry though, he is reborn and comes back in The Two Towers, set to open December 19th. Show your support and go see it when it opens!). The remaining members of the Fellowship then go to Lothlorien, another city of elves. Here Frodo is given a gift by the Lady of the Wood, Galadriel. The Phial of Galadriel, a jar of crystal, containing the light of Earendil caught in the water of the fountain that filled the Mirror of Galadriel. If you have not read the books, this may seem pointless in the movie. Don't worry, it's not. The Phial comes into play at the end of the second book which is the beginning of the third movie. At the end of the first installment, Frodo leaves the Fellowship to continue the quest alone. Sam, Frodo's best friend, however, follows him and insists on going with him. Boromir also dies in an attempt to protect Merry and Pippin from a company of orcs(gross, disfigured goblins/elves), and the two are the kidnapped. I personally have always loved the books, and of course, I absolutely love the movie. I've seen in 13 times, and it still enthralls me. I think that it helps to have read the books beforehand because it makes the movie far less complex and more understandable. However, the movies are no entirely true to the writing, and many things are different or left out completely. Of course, if all had been included in the movie as it was in the book, the movie would for certain be testing six to eight hours long. I believe that movie was well cast, and done so artistically that it takes my breath away at times. Filmed in New Zealand, the scenery is authentic. Well, most of it is. Mordor and Isenguard were not created by burning the forests of New Zealand for obvious reasons. I suggest this movie for any one of mature nature. I went with my eight-year-old cousin, and she was scared to death. It's not a movie for young children, as the scene can be a bit graphic. If you like the books, you'll love the movie, and vice-versa if you've yet to read the books. I definitely suggest that everyone read the books. Tolkien created what was, and always will be, a masterpiece.




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